History
Kunal Nayyar ‘03 Challenge Gift for Performing Arts
Kunal Nayyar ’03, star from the Big Bang Theory, has pledged to give $200,000 to support the Performing Arts Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. Kunal hopes to inspire at least 100 donors to make a gift to any designation in the College of Arts and Sciences campaign. When this goal is reached, his gift will provide support for performing arts students and programs.
Join the challenge starting tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.! On April 4-5 from noon to noon, the UP community will come together for our first ever day of giving:#PilotsGive. With nearly $400,000 in challenge funds available, University of Portland has an ambitious goal of securing 1000 donors in one day! #PilotsGive is OUR chance to make UP stronger. pilotsgive.up.edu Together we all add UP!
Six Students Awarded Fulbright Grants
Six University of Portland students have been awarded prestigious Fulbright grants to work and study abroad. Four of the Fulbrights are for English teaching positions in Germany, one is for an English teaching position in Turkey, and the other is for an English teaching position in Mexico.
The University was ranked first nationally among its peers for Fulbright recipients in 2012- 13, 2011-12, 2010-11 and 2007-08, and second nationally in 2009-10, 2008-09 and 2006-07. Since 2001, 54 students from University of Portland have earned Fulbright grants. Recipients of the German teaching grants are Megan Lester, an English and German studies double-major from Veradale,Wash.; Erin Petersen, an organizational communication and German studies double-major from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Mikayla Posey, a communication and German studies double-major from Kingman, Ariz.; and Michelle Wilcox, a history and German studies double-major from Folsom, Calif. The recipient of the Turkish teaching grant is Rebecca Parks, an English major from Pittsburgh, Pa., and the recipient of the Mexican teaching grant is Megan Fitzgerald, an elementary education major from Hillsboro, Ore.
The United States Fulbright program began in 1946 after World War II to “assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and other countries of the world”through the exchange of students, scholars and professionals. The program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.
For more information contact John Orr, assistant to the provost, at x7286 or orr@up.edu.
Sourced from UpBeat.
New Duties For Fr. Art Wheeler
Rev. Art Wheeler, C.S.C., has indicated to the provost that he would like to return to the history faculty on a full-time basis beginning with the 2015 fall semester. He currently serves as assistant to the provost and director of the Studies Abroad Program
In his 20 years as study abroad director, Fr. Art has been relentless about adding programs and encouraging students to study abroad, and now about one-third of UP students have studied abroad at some point in their academic programs. He has also served as associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and was a long serving chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Athletics. Father Art has consistently taught classes while serving in administrative roles. He won the Culligan Award, the highest award for faculty at the University of Portland, in 2005, and was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Leadership in 2012. He is a well-known advocate for students and his counseling and advising services have been influential in students’ lives for many years.
–Story from UPbeat
Oct. 28, 7:15 p.m; Lecture: The Sistine Chapel History & Meaning
Charles Rosenberg, professor of art history at the University of Notre Dame, will present the annual Hesburgh lecture “The Sistine Chapel History and Meaning.” The lecture considers a number of issues relating to the famous Renaissance frescoes covering the walls of the Sistine Chapel including their relationship to the chapel’s functions in the past and present. Sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Portland. Tuesday, October 28 7:15 p.m., Holy Cross Lounge, 3rd Floor Franz Hall
Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m; Lecture: Humor As A Weapon Against Fascism
When is it right to laugh? In the 1930s, as the Nazi party rose to power, cultural phenomena ranging from cabaret to stage comedy provided possibilities for reaction to the racist violence and oppression. Brian Els of the history department examines the German singing sensation of that period known as the Comedian Harmonists to provide a window into this historical moment. The evening will include live renditions of the Comedian Harmonists’ music by Nicole Hanig of the music department and Gregory Pulver’s Musical Theater and Opera Workshop Ensemble. Sponsored by the Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture. Part of Beckman Humor Initiative. Wednesday, October 22 7:30 p.m., Mago Hunt Recital Hall
Five Faculty Members Awarded Tenure and Promotion
Please join us in congratulating the following faculty members who were recently awarded tenure and promotion, effective July 1, 2014:
Professor Andrew Golla, Drama, tenured and promoted to associate professor;
Dr. Christin Hancock, History, tenured and promoted to associate professor;
Dr. Patrick Murphy, Music, tenured and promoted to associate professor;
Dr. Craig Swinyard, Mathematics, tenured and promoted to associate professor;
Dr. Eugene Urnezius, Chemistry, tenured and promoted to associate professor.
Elise Moentmann appointed CAS Associate Dean for Students
University of Portland’s College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Elise Moentmann as associate dean for students, effective July 1, 2013. Dr. Moentmann is associate professor of History and has been teaching at UP since August 1998. She has served as Chair of the Department of History since Fall 2009 and teaches courses covering Europe broadly from 1600 as well as more focused studies of modern France, East Asia, especially Japan, and global urban history.
Moentmann holds the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Arts (History) degrees from Louisiana Tech University. She received her Ph.D. in Modern European History from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1998. Her research and scholarship examine the relationship between national identity and cultural production (especially cinema and theater) in interwar Alsace and Moselle.
Moentmann has served as director of the Summer Salzburg Session, Chair of the Committee on Committees, member of the Academic Senate and the Senate Executive Committee, member of the CAS Curriculum Committee, and Faculty Advisor to the Phi Alpha Theta National Honors Society in History since 2000. She brings academic excellence, creative leadership, and a strong commitment to formation of the whole person, as exemplified by the Holy Cross mission to educate head, heart, and hands. Moentmann will succeed Dr. James Stemler, interim associate dean for students, who returned to his former position from retirement for Academic Year 2012-13.
Founder’s Day Presenter: Amanda Pilcher
Studying and living at UP for four years has transformed senior Amanda Pilcher from a history buff to an aspiring history professor. Her love for the University has shaped her career goals.
“In ten years, I hope to have earned my Ph.D. in history and begun a job at a university much like UP,” Amanda said. “I want to teach at a school which emphasizes the importance both of research and ensuring strong student education.”
Amanda said she has been influenced heavily by the professors at UP, not only educationally, but personally as well. She has particularly appreciated the instruction of Patrick Murphy, a professor in the music department.
“Throughout my time at UP, he has shared with me his time, talent, and patience. As a result, he has allowed me to grow both as a student and an individual,” she said.
At Founders Day, Amanda will present her senior history thesis, which focuses on the American women’s rights movement in the 1860s. She will explain how the Civil War pushed American women to think about their roles in society. She recently presented the same work to the Northwest Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference, which is the honor society for HIstory students. At the Founder’s Day breakfast, Amanda was also awarded all three of the top student prizes for History, as well as an award from Fields Hall.
Inspired in part by her experience at UP, Amanda hopes to do a year of service work after graduating this May.
“Not only have I been challenged academically, but I have been called to think about my role in society and how I can work to improve our world,” Amanda said. “UP has prepared me not only to be successful in the working world, but as an individual in a global society.”
Northwest Regional History Conference
The History Department and its Rho Pi Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honors society, hosted the Northwest Regional
Conference on April 4-6.
The PAT Conference the largest regional conference in the country and included 140 student presenters from over 20 different schools around the region, including University of Idaho, Montana State University/Billings, Gonzaga University,Western Washington University, Portland State, and Linfield College. Eight students from UP presented their research at the conference, including: Joseph Frischmuth, Sarah Lynch, Elizabeth Tertadian, Justine Roades, Laura Frazier, Amanda Pilcher, Nicholas Chun, and Andrew Otton. The conference program can be found at http://sites.up.edu/history/files/2013/03/NWPAT-2013-Program-.pdf.
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